Office of the commissioner for fundamental rights of hungary

On 4 December 2023, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary presented Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum awards and ombudsman’s acknowledgements at the award ceremony held at the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights.

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma pays special attention to protecting the rights of children. 2021 saw the launching of a children’s home renovation programme at the Ombudsman’s initiative, which is already in its third year. State Secretary for Forests Mr. Péter Zambó and National Commander of the Hungarian Prison Service, Prison Lieutenant General Dr. Tamás Tóth were granted the Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum award for their exemplary efforts taken in the ombudsman’s children’s home renovation programme.

Furthermore, Dr. Ákos Kozma presented a Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum award to Chairperson of the Hungarian Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability (ÉFOÉSZ) Ms. Piroska Gyene for her self-sacrificing work and advocacy activity of several decades for the protection of the rights of persons with intellectual disability.

This award, founded by the Ombudsmen in 2007, is granted by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights for outstanding accomplishment, professional activities or career to those who have achieved or contributed to the achievement of extraordinary, exemplary results in the field of protecting fundamental human and civil rights, in particular the rights of the child and other vulnerable groups, the rights of national minorities and the environment.

At the ceremony, besides the delivery of the Justitia Regnorum Fundamentum awards, ombudsman’s tributes were also given. Such tribute was given to   Deputy Chief Commissioner of the National Police Headquarters for Law Enforcement, Police Major General Dr. János Zoltán Kuczik; Deputy Chief Commissioner of the National Police Headquarters for Criminal Investigation, Police Major General Dr. Sándor Töreki;  Director of the Airport Police Directorate, Police Brigadier General Dr. Zoltán Török; Governor of the National Prison of Szombathely, Police Brigadier General Mr. Tamás Nyima; Governor of the Szeged Strict and Medium Regime Prison, Police Brigadier General Mr. Károly Kopcsik; CEO of Veszprémi Erdőgazdaság  Zrt Mr. Ákos Gábor Ugron;  Deputy Director-General of the Saint Agatha Child Protection Service of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese Dr. Beáta Szalai, as well as Deputy Director-General of the Saint Agatha Child Protection Service of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese Mr. Zsolt Balogh.